August 9, 2015

expert reaction to Scottish government announcement on ban of GM crops

The Scottish government has announced that it is to ban the growing of genetically modified (GM) crops.

Prof. Rob Edwards, Head of the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, said:

‘This would seem like a hasty decision based on the potential for public good and confronting the major issues we face in sustainable agriculture and horticulture in the UK. We need to produce more nutritious and healthy food, with reduced inputs and a need to minimise the impact of farming on the environment.

“The climate change models suggest the northern agricultural areas of the UK will be more strategically important in providing us all with food in the future in the coming decades.

“Unless I am missing something there are no magic bullet solutions based on our current farming practices that offer to square those challenges in the time scale we need to work to.

“It’s time Governments stopped equating an anti-GM stance with care for the environment. GM crops can be of benefit to the environment if regulated sensitively. Furthermore there is no reason to ban them on safety grounds. Blanket bans like this are irrational.”

“This decision might seem to be symbolic, as the only GM crop grown in Europe is insect-resistant maize. Maize is not a significant crop in Scotland. However, the second GM species approved for use in Europe is a potato, which is much more relevant to Scotland and its farmers. Breakthrough science from the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich recently showed the effective protection of potatoes against the potato famine disease, late blight. Potato blight in wet years still decimates the Scottish potato crop and requires frequent spraying of fungicides. For Scotland to deny to its farmers such a critical innovation and to deny consumers the possibility of reducing pesticide use is irresponsible. Positioning a nation in this way gives it an international reputation for being a science-free zone, not the modern Scotland that it aspires to be.”

Prof. Ottoline Leyser, Director of the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, said:

“It is ironic that Ministers have justified their decision by stating that they are not prepared to “gamble with the future” of Scotland’s food and drink industry, because that is exactly what they are doing. In the short term, this is a zero risk, eye-catching announcement that will have no impact whatsoever, because there are currently no approved GM crops available that are suitable for cultivation in Scotland. In the long term, however, when products such as blight resistant potatoes eventually reach the market, Scottish farmers will find themselves at a serious disadvantage. But maybe this is not such a gamble- a week is famously a long time in politics, so when the time comes, no doubt an elegant U turn can be effected.”

Prof. Anne Glover, University of Aberdeen and former Chief Scientist to the European Commission, said:

“I am not aware of the full context of the SG ban on GM crops so it is not possible to make detailed comments. Generally, it would be hard to justify a ban on the grounds of safety as GM technology for plant breeding is supported by a global scientific consensus with regard to safety. With appropriate choices, GM technology can offer one approach to sustainable farming by reducing the need for chemical inputs which benefits the consumer, the farmer and the environment.”

“This is a sad day for science and a sad day for Scotland. GM crops approved by the EU are safe for humans, animals and the environment and it’s a shame the Scottish Parliament think cultivation would harm their food and drink sector. If approved, this decision serves to remove the freedom of Scottish farmers and narrows their choice of crop varieties to cultivate in the future.

Declared interests

Prof. Rob Edwards: None received

Prof. Ottoline Leyser:
Employment and paid consultancies
Director, The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge
Company of Biologists, Editor of “Development”
European Research Council, grants board member
Ad hoc payments for one off consultancies for universities and research institutes, funders etc.
Gatsby Foundation, Plant Science Advisor
Norwich Research Park Science Advisory Board
Current Opinion in Plant Biology, Co-Editor in Chief
Biotechnology and Biological Science Council occasional committee work